Fire-place



. 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. ADAIR.

. Fire Place. y

No.- 230,390. A Patented July 271, 18 80.

NJPETERS. PHDTO-UTNOGRIFNER. WASHINGTON D C 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. ADAIR.

Fire Plan-e. No. 230,390. y Patented July 27,1880.

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Fire Place.

' Patented July27, 1880.

l OGRAFHER, WASNINGTUN D C -NITED STATES i PATENT FrrcE.

JAMES ADAIR, 0F A'LEPPO TOWNSHIP, (PITTSBURG P. 0.,) ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIRE-PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 230,390, dated July 27, 1880.

Application filed October 3, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JAMES ADAIR, of Aleppo Township, (Pittsburg P. 0.,) county ot'Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Places; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making azpart of'this specification, in which-like letters indicating` like parts- Figure l, Sheet l, is a perspective view of my improved fire-place and grate arranged for use. Fig. 2 is a similar view, illustrative of the manner of adjusting the grate for summer, the front being broken away in part, the better to show the interior. Fig. 3 is avertical central section through the fire-place and grate, showing, in perspective, the parts arranged in the same manner or relation as in Fig. 1, but drawn to an enlarged scale. Figs. 4 and 5 are detached perspective views on the scale of Fig. 3, illustrating separate parts of the grate proper. Fig. 6, Sheet 2, is a front elevation ot' my improvement, showing the summer front and ash-screen in place. Fig. 7 isa vertical sectional view through the tire-place and grate-front, the grate proper being removed 5 and Figs. 8, 9, and l() are views illustrative of the manner of forming the gratefront. Figs. 1l, l2, and 13, Sheet 3, are detached perspective views of parts of the grate, illustrative of modifications in con struction, as hereinafter described.

The scale of the figures on Sheet 2 is intermediate between those ot' Figs. l and 3, Sheet l.

My invention relates to certain improvements in fire-places and grates; and it consists in forming the several parts and arranging and combining them, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, A represents the fire-place, which is lined. with side tile, B B, back tile, D D', and roof-tile G.

It has been customary heretofore to incline the roof-tile of a lire-place upward toward the front. Such arrangement is objectional, because the upward slope of its under face wastefully hastens the escape of the hot gases and smoke from the fire-place, and also a large cause their combustion to be made more complete, while the smooth incline along the upper side of the tile, which is nearly in the direct and natural line of dra-ft, will facilitate the escape of the spent gases up the tlue after they have once passed the front edge of the tile. Thus by the adjustmentI of this tile I improve or increase the combustion in the fireplace, and at the same time, without extra back filling, I prevent. the tendency to putt' smokeV into 'the room, which exists when an air-chamber is formed back of and above the tile. I also perforate this tile with a numberI of small holes, c, or otherwise form equivalent passages through the same, which serve as ame and air passages and promote combustion of the escaping gases above, as well as below, the tile, especially if the well-known or any suitable rear dust-iuebe arranged to discharge its air immediately below the roof-tile. The tile being thus heated on both sides will become very hot, unsightly soot or carbon, which might otherwise collect upon it, will be burned, and owin g to its exposed position a great deal of heat will be radiated from it into the room. This tile G may rest upon the end and back tile, and all may he supported and secured in any convenient way.

Instead of making the lower back tile, D, plain and uniformin thickness, or, on the other hand, weakening it by lutings or gutters, as has heretofore been practiced, I add to its lower front face a series of triangular projections, d, having their bases downward and their front edges receding or sloping upward and backward to or toward the face of the tile.- Spaces IOO between grate-bars. These spaces may have vertical or tapering sides, as preferred, and they serve as air-passages to supply air from below to the back of the tire, and thence up the tile D Dl to the roof-tile C. They also serve to cover, in part, the bottom ofthe tirebasket, and thus diminish the requisite extent ofthe grate-bars, and especially they prevent the accumulation of ashes upon the back tile.

The attainment of these objects or advantages is very desirable, and I fully secure them, to a practical extent, by forming the tile D as described, andat the same time l make the important provision for a clear space for agitating the gratebars,as hereinafter described.

The end tile, B B, may have either plane faces, as shown, or projections may be made along their lower edges, as described with reference to tile D, which will serve, in such construction, most of the advantages above named.

The grate proper is formed in two parts or members, E and F. (Shown in detached views, Figs. 4 and 5.) rIhe part E is composed of ribs or bars e, projectin at suitable intervals from the main or spinal shaft c, to which they are by preference cast. A handle or a pair of operating-shafts, h, extend back from the ends of the spinal shaft c and rest on the crossbar S of the grate-front, at which place they are, by preference, bent downward somewhat, so as to project out from the front a little way in a horizontal or nearly horizontal direction. I have shown this handle h rigidly attached to lts grate E. lt may be made detachable, however, it' preferredas, for example, by a pin, socket, and set-screw connection located at or near the grate-front--ainl the handle may be made solid or tubular and of any suitable form and material. This part, E, of the grate is detachably pivoted to a rod, fi, which 1s secured in the side walls of the fire-place in the desired position.

The pivot seats or bearings are formed by spurs or equivalent hooks or lugs i', projecting' from the under side of E. Open-sided bearings or tbrks-are thus secured, which not only permit the grate to be rocked or turned on the rod t', but also allow of a sliding movement into and out of the fireplace, as hereinafter described, and in so doing the bars c will rest and slide upon the rod lf preferred, the pivotal fork i `may be made by two or more ribs, i2, Fig. ll, Sheet 3, projecting' from the under side of the spinal shaft e', arranged intermediate between the ribs e.

The other part or member, F, ofthe grate is formed of a fore plate, j", which covers the space between the top edge of cross-bar S and spinal shaft c', and comb-teeth or bars j' prol ject from the inner edge of this plate j",which teeth are arranged to lie between and alternate with the bars c. These two parts E and Fof the grate are detachabl y pivoted together by means of open-sided sockets or forks ou `the hooks g, which clasp the spinal shaft e', preferably at or near either end. The part F may thus have independent motion upon its pivot and into and out ot' the tire-place, the same as the part E upon the rod i; or the two parts may have joint and combined motion upon these pivots at the same time, as presently described.

Stops orlugs g', near the center of the spinal shaft e', bear upon either side ot one of the barsf, and not only guide the part F into proper position, but also prevent displacement of the same when the grate is agitated. As thus arran ged the greater part of the weight of F will besupported by the spinal shaft e', and the combined weight of both E and F is supported by the rod t' and cross-bar S. The position of this cross-bar with relation to the rod 'i is, by preference, such as to give considera-ble downwardincline to the grate, as shown, and secure the desired depth of lire-basket at the rear; and the adjustment between the two parts E and F is such that their upper surfaces are in the same or nearly the same plane.

The fore plate, j", is by preference pierced or perforated'with a number of holes, 7c, for supplying air in limited quantities to the front of the tire, though I prefer to introduce the greater `part of the air at the back, and I provide for this,in the construction of the grate, by the use of the fore plate,f, in front and the bars e and fand passages d in the rear.

In case the fore plate, f', should become covered with ashes, or coked coal should adhere thereto, it may be cleared by running a rod or poker, l, through holes m in the flange or rim fm, and vibrating its end over the surface of the plate, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3.

The flange or rim m on the front edge of fore plate, j", is designed to prevent coals an d ashes from droppin g over the front of the fire-basket.

But, as an additional precaution in this respect,

and also as a means of operating the part F of the grate, I clip or otherwise rigidly attach to this tlange m a balcony or fender plate, H,

-which is so placed, by preference, as to be bounded by the operating shaft or handle h.

1f desired, this fender, as well as the handle h, may be plated and otherwise` ornamented, and the iioor of the fender may be laid with Minton tile, so as to give it an attractive appearance.

By raising' the fender H with the foot, poker, or hand the part F will be tilted on its pivot without disturbing the part E, and the front ofthe tire will be effectuall y agitated or stirred. In order, however, to agitate both partsof the grate at once, I make use of the operating handle or shaft It, either by grasping' it with the hand or by passing the poker l through holes la and m', as in full lines,.Fig. 3; `then by raising and lowering this handle the part E will be turned on its pivot-rod t', and the points of the bars c be given a vibratory motion corresponding to that of the handle 5 at under side of F, formed lby the bent lugs or the same time the spine c on the under side of TOO IIO

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the part F will vibrate the bars f, the front edge ot' the fore plate, f', rocking on the crossbar S. The two vibrating sets ot' hars e and f will thus be given a shearing motion past each other, and the whole contents of the fire-basket will be ett'ectnally stirred and cleared of ashes, Svc. This same shear motion of the grate-bars may be secured by extending the heel or stub of one ofthe bars e-as, forexample, the middle one-as shown in dotted lines at e5, Fig. l1,

` back under the fore plate, f', a sufficient distance to impart to such plate the desired niotion as the grate E is rocked on its pivot, and in such construction the pivots t' and g may be in the same, or nearly the same, vertical plane.

By raising the handle hand fender H together both parts of the grate will be turned on the rod t, andthe entire contents ot the lire-basket be discharged or dumped into the ash-recei ver R or, if preferred, the grate may be given a sliding motion into and out ot' the tire-basket, which may be made to discharge the contents ot' the basket. This sliding motion may be either in the plane of' the positiony ofthe grate when at rest, or the sliding motion may be combined with the tilting motion on the rod z', and this combined motion willv be found particularly advantageous where theashreceiver R is shallow, as by means ot' it the grate can be broug'ht back to place without disturbing the discharged ashes.

When it is desired to close the grate for summer the parts E and F, with their attachments, may be turned or folded on rod t' against the back ofthe tire-place, asillustrated in Fig. 2. The tire-place may then be closed with a summert'ront, O, las in Fig. 6.

The center ot' motion ot' the part F ot' the grate, when E and F are both agitated, is a-long the cross bar S. This heilig' considerably higher than the points ot' the bars f, the line ot' mot-ion ot' these points, as the grate is agi-v tated, will be upward and backward, and by sloping the front edges of the tile-projections d, as described, there is no danger ot' striking them with the ends ot' these bars, which would be the case were the face of the tile vertical and the bars were extended near to such face; also7 the fuel in the tire-basket is easily raised along such slope, with little or no danger ot' coal or cinders wedging in vbetween the tile and the ends of the hars. The angle between the sloping edge ot' projections d and the face oi' the grate when in position is, by preference, about ninety degrees. l

Itl desired, the bars f, or some of them, may project a little ways into the passages d', so as to assist in clearing them of ashes, though I do not consider this essential; also, the ribs e maybe extended across-the spine e', and closely or loosely enter corresponding slots or recesses cut into the adjacent edge ot' the fore plate, j", as at e4, Fig. ll; but I prefer the construction shown, as less metalis required in its construction, there is less danger ot' clinkers interfering with the motion. of the ribs, thelbar S isbetter protected from the heat of the tire, and air is better directed to the rear part of' the fire-basket. y

The parts E and F ot' the grate may be pivoted at any desired point inside the gratefront, so as to have a shear motion with relation to each other, as described. I prefer, however, to locate the pivot-rod i near the transverse center of the fire-basket, as the leverage secured thereby upon the parts E and F renders their agitation and operation an easy matter; and this I claim as one great advantage in my invention, that the operation ofthe grate is iliade not only so convenient, but also so easy that it is practically within the strength and ability ot' a child or ot' the intirm, and at the same time it is safe and well guarded from danger ot' accident.

By placing the pivoting-rod t' nearerthe front more motion might be given the bars e and j' for a given motion ofthe handle 7L,- but in such case more strength would be required.

The pivots between the parts E and F and rod t' may be near the center of such parts instead ot' near the ends, as shown.

It will also be observed that a slight modi tication of F, Fig. 4, would enable one such member to be mounted over another almost similar member, as illustrated by detached view, Fig. 13, the two forming what may be described as a very large wide pair of dat pinchers or tongs with forked jaws, the fore plate and fender-plate of each constituting a handle. would cause the forked jaws toseparate, thereby agitating the fuel. l

It may also he mentioned that the central part ot' the t'ore plate, f3, Fig. 12, bounded on the upper side by the tlange and on the lower side by the lower range ot' holes, may be cut away and attached to a rear rib,-e6, carried on the spine-shaft. ln s uch case this cutaway part of the fore. plate would rise and fall as the handle is operated. f

It will also occur to the skilled in the ar that the tia-nge m and the rod h may have a permanent coupling-bar, q, between them pro# vided with a vertical socket orpoker-hole, q, by which toA operate it.

These and' other like nioditications I con-v sider as coming within my invention.

Another part ot my-invention relates to certain improvements in the form and construction of the grate-front N, whereby I both adapt it -to the construction of grate described and also increase its utility and cheapness.

In making this front, I take a sheet of polished Bessemer steel of proper size, land while properly heated, by the use of suitable rolls,

dies, or a drop, I t'orm therein V-shaped crimps' or grooves o 0 along the boundary-lines ofthe outside edge, the front opening' to 'the tirebasket and of the ash-screen opening, as illustrated in Figs. S and 9, Sheet 2. These crimps or grooves are made by stretching the metal, which, when hot, is very plastic.

TOO

By grinding or cutting through the apices of these crimps I remove or sever the pieces O and R, and also the outside rim or waste, W, and secure inwardly-bent flanges r r on the front N and pieces O and R corresponding to the crimps first formed. The iianges r and r are then pressed with dies or otherwise tted into the desired square-cornered form, and worked outward until the pieces O and R properly fill the openings from which they were respectively taken. They thus form doors to close such openings, O serving as a summerfront and R as the ash-screen front or door, through which scrolls or holes u should be cutto supply air to the under side of the iire.

The iianges r r serve a useful purpose in holding the doors It and O in place. They also give the edges a smooth finish and the whole front additional strength. Moreover, between the iianges on the edges of the crossbar S, I place suitable tire-proof tile s, or glass, or equivalent material, which may be colored and ornamented as desired, and holes or openings s' through the cross-bar will expose such ornamentation, as illustrated in Fig. 6, Sheet 2, and thus add very much to the beauty of the grate-front. The principal reasons, however, for using' tile or its equivalent along the back of S are to give it strength to support the grates E F, as described, and to protect it from being warped or burned by the heat of the fire. The fore plate, f', also assists in this latter object, as it arrests the heat of the re much better than the usual open-grate bars would do.

Upon removing the door R the ashes under the grate-bars may be taken up in the usual way, or they may be passed to a pit or box in the cellar, as preferred.

The front N may be secured in place in any convenient way.

In patent granted to me July 4, 1876, No. 179,389, I have shown a fender-plate hinged to a low-down grate; but such arrangement would not serve the purpose which I here secure by rigidly attaching the fender H to flange m.

In general terms, my present invention may be said to be an improvement in the class of grates shown in aforesaid patent, and also in patents granted to me July (i, 1875, No. 165,194, and June 19, 1877, No. 192,046.

Some of the advantages which I secure in my present invention over the construction shown in these patents and others of the same class are, that I dispense with the supportingframe around the grate-bars, and thus add to the simplicity and cheapness of the grate, and avoid the loading of ashes upon such frame. I also secure better dumping facilities and a better shaking or agitating motion-one that can be operated without any specially-formed tool and with utmost ease and safety. I secure a better draft, better combustion above and under the roof-tile, and consequently better radiation of heat, a much better grate-front,

and better protection for the transverse bar of the same, and, especially, I secure a much more simple, and consequently a much better grate, than any of which I have heretofore had knowledge.

By the term iireplace,7 as used herein, I include open-grate stoves and other devices for generating heat involving a similar function and construction to the ire -place described.

I am aware that, broadly considered, it is not new to pivot a iire-place grate in such way that it may be turned upon its pivots into the fire-place, and therefore I limit myself in this respect to the combination of devices involved in this operation, substantially as'herein set fort-h and hereinafter claimed; neither do I claim herein the grate-front described, by itself considered, nor the method described of making the same, such matter forming the subject of another application.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. ln a fire-place, the combination of a forwardly-depressed perforated roof-tile, C, rear tile, D, having air-passages d. and triangular projections d, and a suitable grate for forming a tire-basket under such roof-tile and in front of the rear tile, substantially as set forth.

2. In a tire-basket, the combination of rear tile, D, having projections d and intermediate passages d on its lower front edge, with end tile, B B, and grate-bars forming the front and bottom of the basket, substantially as set forth.

3. In a fire-place, and in combination therewith, a pivoted two-part grate having an operatin g shaft and fender attached thereto, which are arranged to project somewhat in front of the grate and adapted to be turned with the grate on its pivot into the interior of the fire-place, substantially' as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination of pivot-rod i, grate E, pivoted thereto or adapt-ed to turn thereon, grate F, pivoted on the grate E, and rest or front cross-bar, S, arranged substantially as described.

5. The combination of grates E and F, pivoted to each other and arranged with alterhating bars or teeth e and j", rest-bar S, oper- IOO IIO

ating-shaft h, fender H, and rod t', substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a pivoted grate-bar and a fender-plate rigidly secured to the front of such grate-bar, substantially as set forth,

whereby such plate serves as a means for agitating and dumping the grate and as a fender when the grate is in position.

7. rIhe combination of a low-down re-place grate, transverse bar S, in front of such grate, and tile s, arranged against the rear face of the bar, to protect, strengthen, and ornament the same, substantially as set forth.

8. A metal fire-place front, N, having a transverse bar, S, integral therewith, and having a fire-basket opening above such bar and an ash screen or receiver opening below such bar, in combination with a re-grate supported at its front edge upon such transverse bar, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination of grate E, having bars e, spin al shaft e', and lugs g, grate F, having bars f, and fore plate, f', supporting or cross bar S, and pivot-rod t', arranged substantially as and for the purposes described.

l0. In the lire-basket of a fire-place, and in combination therewith, a wall-tile arranged in a vertical or nearly vertical position and having at its lower front edge a succession of projections, d, and intermediate passages, substantially as described, whereby a succession of 15 sloping edges are formed across the lower corner of the lire-basket.

In testimony whereofl I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES ADAIR.

Witnesses C. L. PARKER, R. H. WHITTLEsEY. 

